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Cybernetics
__TOC__ Over the twenty years since the beginning of the 21st Century, cybernetics have been advancing at a steady rate, exploding into exponential growth in the last ten years. In the last decade, thanks to the increased interest in prosthetics and implants, more and more people are seen sporting cybernetic parts - first as prosthetics for limbs and body parts lost in accidents or in conflicts, and then later as a choice by those wishing to have more control over their body, as well as gain the extra functionality that various prosthetics boast. As well as this, mechanical implants began to become more and more popular, as people realise the value of things like a hollow tooth able to store small objects, a hard-drive hardwired into the brain's sensory inputs, or simply the ability to become better, faster and stronger. In 2020, there is more acceptance for cybernetics, as people begin more openly displaying their modifications and implants, with recent surveys showing that a large portion of the population to be sporting cybernetic implants or modifications for various reasons, but that in Japan, a country known for its racial homogeneity (only a minority of the population are considered non-Japanese, with the largest racial minority being ethnic Koreans and other East Asian races, and the smallest being Caucasians), a rift has arisen between those sporting cybernetics and those who don't. While cyberism, discrimination against those with cybernetic implants, is considered politically incorrect and criminal, an undercurrent of tension still exists between those who have cybernetics and those who don't. This has in the past led to cyberist violence, with frequent cyberist fights and riots breaking out, demonstrating that cybernetics is yet to have full public acceptance. A powerful lobby group, calling itself the Coalition Against Cybernetics has arisen, consisting of mainly conservatives and radical right-wing hardliners, who are constantly lobbying for more bans and restrictive control of those with modifications. This is not to say that those who have cybernetics are not pacifists - they have their own representation, but are less politically powerful as the majority of those with cybernetics are in At the forefront of the research into cybernetics were various interests in the Kirijo Group, which invested much time, effort and money into the field. Strega Biotech is the subsidiary under which their cybernetics has been researched, and are often seen as the number one use in the medical field. With contracts for the military, they produce many cybernetics not available to the public, save via the black market. Types of cybernetics There are three broad classifications of cybernetic modifications available: wetware, implants and prosthetization. The classifications demonstrates the differences between the three, and serves to identify what kind of modification it is. Implants are minor upgrades, similar to minor plastic surgery procedures, like a nip/tuck. Minor upgrades like a tracking chip planted under the skin, or a tooth replaced with an artificial one with a hollow tooth are perfect examples. As the name suggest, implants are small things placed within the body, which may or may not require a short surgical procedure to implant. They are hard to spot, since many are either planted beneath the skin, or within an orifice, like the nose or the ears. Some however, maybe more visual, such as optical implants, which are fitted over the eyes and linked with the brain. Implants are usually reversible, and easy to remove. Wetware, however, are a nearly entirely different beast. Wetware are cybernetic implants that require more extensive surgery, and necessitate more drastic changes to the body. Changes such as the insertion of artificial muscle packages, or replacement of organic muscle with artificial equivalents, or the replacement of human lungs with artificial ones. Usually, these changes are more drastic, and require more surgery. It is usually soon evident whether one has had wetware modifications made, as the modifications cause drastic changes in the way a person's body works. New artificial legs, for instance, force the brain to re-learn how to walk, to ensure that they can keep a normal stride instead of moving too far, resulting in a careful, measured stride. Another may have a lung modification installed for various reasons, and have a distinctive, rasping breathing sound. The most drastic of wetware cybernetics, however, is full prosthetization, in which a human brain is implanted into a wholly mechanical body. At first it was rolled out in 2017 for testing by various militaries to make better and longer-lasting soldiers. The first-generation of prosthetics were very crude representations of a human body - more mechanical and robotic than organ and human-like. However, within the ranks of those who end up undergoing full prosthetisation, a subculture of modification and customisation has been emerging, similar to that amongst car enthusiasts who like to modify their cars with performance-enhancing and cosmetic modifications. Second-generation prosthetics are currently in a prototype stage, which has promised a wholly realised human form, identical to those of real humans. This has anti-cybernetics groups very, very concerned. Some ex-military personnel who have had extensive wetware modifications or full prosthetisation frequently have trouble adjusting to normal society again, since in this setting their implants are no longer required, but often the surgeries are irreversible, and so they are stuck like that for the rest of their life. Cyberbrains A product of over thirty top-secret neurological years of research, the cyberbrain is one of the newest cybernetic modifications from Strega Biotech. In a nutshell, a cyberbrain is a human brain that has been modified to be able to interface directly with electronic devices. The brain has been modified in a way so that it is virtually a powerful computer processor all on its own. First implemented in the military to better create soldiers connected together in an information-sharing network, cyberbrain technology was released to the public in 2016. The first generation of cyberbrains have been a huge success for Strega, particularly in the way that it was co-developed with the PERSONA, so that the two were designed to work together. The addition of a cyberbrain multiplies the function of a PERSONA from a multi-purpose communications and media device, into a computer. The PERSONA taps into the untapped thinking potential of the brain, and uses the brain's processing power to execute more complex things than what the PERSONA's own octo-core CPU unit can do - turning a person interfaced with their PERSONA into a walking supercomputer. The only visual identification of a cyberbrain are the plugs on the back of someone's neck, which is for interfacing with other devices. On more recent-model cyberbrains, there is another feature on present. At the base of the neck, on the back, are a collection of slots covered by skin-coloured covers. These slots are spaces designed for the insertion of skill modules, small memory sticks that have knowledge condensed into them that allows the wearer to know how to use a particular skill. While these skill module slots are present on all newer model cyberbrains, their use has been restricted to military and police only, although one can obtain a permit for the use of skill modules. A thriving black market exists for the sale of skill modules, where demand has been high. Category:Technology